Tennis veteran rages at fans in wild scenes at Australian Open
There were bizarre scenes at the Australian Open on Monday night when Feliciano Lopez confronted some rowdy fans during his clash with John Millman.
Millman set up a second round clash with Alexander Zverev after the 32-year-old beat Spanish veteran Lopez 6-1 6-3 4-6 7-5.
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But the match wasn't without some drama as Lopez was left fuming at a number of fans during the third set.
The 40-year-old appeared to be irked by noise the fans were making while he was serving and asked the chair umpire to intervene.
Lopez then addressed the fans directly, asking "why" and raising his arms in the air.
The spectators then apologised to Lopez, with the Spaniard revealing what went down in his post-match press conference.
“It was a few guys cheering and trying to distract me between serves but this is normal," he said.
"I like playing in that kind of atmosphere you know, but sometimes it can get a little bit wild, especially in between serves which is not easy."
Millman paid tribute to the crowd after his victory, saying the parochial support got him over the line.
“He started landing that serve in the third and fourth set and against those guys you only get one or two opportunities,” he said.
“I thought maybe I’d blown it in that fourth set when I had a couple of little break points but he came up with some great serves under pressure.
"I think maybe the crowd got behind me.”
John Millman and Aleksandar Vukic in second round
Earlier, Aleksander Vukic also fed off the energy of a parochial home crowd to claim the biggest win of his career, sending No.30 seed Lloyd Harris crashing out.
Vukic held his nerve in a tight encounter on Court 3, winning 4-6 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3) against South African Harris in two hours and 53 minutes.
It continued a good recent run of form from Sydneysider, who reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final last week in Adelaide before bowing out to eventual champion and fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The 25-year-old received a standing ovation from the delighted home crowd as Vukic shook his head, seemingly in disbelief after posting his breakthrough first main-draw win at a grand slam.
"It was one of the loudest atmospheres I've every seen to be honest and it was all for me, all for the Aussies," said Vukic, who knows a fair bit about parochial supporters, having cut his teeth on the US collegiate circuit.
"I couldn't have done it without them. It's a dream for sure."
Vukic's reward is a second-round clash against Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot, with the winner of that match to face either Millman or Zverev.
"I feel like I match up well with the big hitters because I have a similar style," Vukic said.
"I rely a lot on my serve, so when I play against someone like that I know how to play them, because I know how to play me.
"I just feel comfortable against those guys."
with AAP
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